EU Consumer Survey Shows Increased Awareness of Food Safety Systems, Risks
The share of European citizens who say they are aware of how the EU food safety system works has increased by six percentage points since 2022, according to the newly released 2025 Eurobarometer Survey on Food Safety in the EU. The survey also reveals a steady rise in familiarity with a broad range of food safety issues.
Commissioned by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), the survey includes responses from citizens in all 27 EU Member States (including 26,370 respondents) and, for the first time in 2025, seven EU Candidate Countries (including 5,655 respondents). Interviews were conducted face-to-face. The 2025 survey builds upon previous Eurobarometer surveys conducted in 2010, 2019, and 2022.
The increased awareness marked in the 2025 survey follows the EU’s 2019 introduction of new rules on transparency, data accessibility, and risk communication—measures aimed at improving public understanding of how food safety decisions are made and the role of scientific evaluations.
The survey shows that seven in ten Europeans express personal interest in food safety, and that food safety ranks third (important to 46 percent of respondents) among factors influencing food choices, behind cost (60 percent) and taste (51 percent).
Cost has become increasingly relevant, rising six percentage points since 2022 and emerging as the top factor in 20 EU Member States—highlighting ongoing economic pressures across the region.
Despite growing awareness, four in ten Europeans (41 percent) say they do not actively follow food safety information because they assume that the food they buy is safe. Another 30 percent feel sufficiently informed to avoid or mitigate food risks.
Awareness of all 15 food safety topics included in the survey has increased. Same as in 2022, the issues with which respondents are most familiar are food additives (71 percent) and pesticides (67 percent). Notable increases were recorded for: animal diseases (65 percent, up by 5 percent), microplastics in food (63 percent, up by 8 percent), and food poisoning (62 percent, up 5 by percent).
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Respondents stated that their top food safety concerns are pesticides (39 percent), antibiotics/hormones/steroids in meat (36 percent), and food additives (35 percent). Concern about microplastics in food saw the sharpest rise, reaching 33 percent (up 4 percent from 2022).
Regarding confidence in and awareness of the EU food safety system, 79 percent of respondents agreed that there are regulations to ensure food safety (up 6 percent), 76 percent agree the EU relies on scientific advice (up 6 percent), 68 percent agree that the EU has a dedicated scientific advisory body (up 7 percent), and 71 percent agree EU and national authorities collaborate (up 6 percent).
Additionally, when it comes to personal health, 41 percent of respondents said they balance their attention between nutrition and food risks (down 5 percent since 2022), while 34 percent prioritize healthy diets (up 3 percent) and 23 percent focus more on food risks (up 2 percent).
When asked about the impact that animal and environmental factors have on human health via the food system, 53 percent said they believe that animal health issues strongly impact human health. For environmental health, 51 percent said there is an impact, although perceptions have shifted from “strong” to “moderate” impact.
Sources of food safety information that respondents say they trust, from most to least trusted, include: general practitioners and specialist doctors (90 percent), university/public research scientists (84 percent), consumer organizations and farmers (82 percent), national authorities (70 percent, up 4 percent from 2022), and EU institutions (69 percent, up 3 percent).
Additionally, channels that respondents go to for information about food safety risks include: television remains the top source (55 percent, down 6 percent from 2022), personal conversations (42 percent), internet search engines (38 percent), and social media and blogs (25 percent, up 4 percent).
